King Willem-Alexander and Queen Máxima are returning to the city were their love first came to blossom, New York City aka New Amsterdam. It is a city which harbors great memories especially for Máxima, who lived and worked there prior to meeting the Dutch Crown Prince. The rest is, as they say history.
The Dutch royals are returning to the Big Apple with a full agenda. The King will be the first Dutch head of state to address the United Nations General Assembly on Monday September 28. Previously Dutch Prime Ministers or Secretary's of State would address the Assemblym but at the 70th anniversary of the UN the Dutch government thought it appropiate to invite the King to do the honors.
[Obama asks Dutch royals about health care]
There is another reason for this, as the Netherlands is hoping to gain a non permanent seat on the UN's Security Counsel for 2017-2018, and the presence of the King is seen as a possitive influence. The royal couple will be accompanid by at least two Prime Ministers from the Kingdom, Mark Rutte of the Netherlands and Mike Eman of the Caribbean island of Aruba.
Queen Máxima has her own agenda in New York as the UN Secretary-General's Special Advocate for Financial Inclusion for Development, UNSGSA. She will hand in her annual report to UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon, and attend the UN summit on Sustainable Development Goals, the successor to the Millennium Devevelopment Goals.
In 2009 the royal couple also visited New York, to mark the 400th anniversary of the arrival of the Dutch in New York harbor in 1609. Willem-Alexander and Máxima stayed a whole week and attended attended the presentation of the Four Freedom Awards, to then Secretary of State Hillary Clinton. They also took part in Dutch themed festivities on Governor's Island, including a performance by DJ Armin van Buuren.
© RB, Photos: © RB, and MPE Patrick van Katwijk (2009)
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